Hello everyone, I'm looking into revamping my audio system and am in desperate need of help..
AND I AM COMPLETELY LOST not to mention frustrated..
Yes, I've searched and read and read some more and have learned a lot, but still have a lot of questions. It seems that every potential audio system I've seen has at least one little detail that makes it useless information to me(i.e. particular amp, speaker size, etc.) I have learned a lot though I must admit.
Enough with the intro, here's what I'm looking for and would LOVE your help with:
-Doesn't need to be audiophile quality. I definitely don't want low quality made-in-china crap though. I need help balancing quality with price.
-Isn't going to be used at car shows etc. I'm just looking for something to make daily driving a bit more pleasurable.
-Doesn't need to be blow your ears out loud. But I do enjoy listening to my music loudly with my windows down. My stock setup has not left me wanting more though in terms of sheer volume.
-I listen to a wide variety of music, though mostly can be broken down into 50% rock, 30% rap/hip hop, 10% old school, 10% other.
-I play my music either through my iPod mini(40%,) radio(40%,) or CD player(20%, in a different head unit I have)
-Not looking to spend over $450 for 4 speakers, an amp, a head unit, and a sub.
-I like bass, and would like a nice 'thump.' I don't need to rattle my car apart though
-I've got nothing against buying used! But I'm a little leery of buying used speakers because I would never know how they were played in their previous life. Is that a logical thing to be worried about, or would I be able to spot any damage by sight? Can anyone point to sites like craigslist [dot] org, and eBay [dot] com that would be likely to have used car audio equipment for sale?
-I'm going to be keeping the car for probably another year or two so nothing over the top, but I'd really like to be able to listen to ALL the notes in my music for once
The car's a '93 Honda Accord; 6.5" speakers all around -four total.
Original head unit, cassette/am/fm. Original 15 year old speakers(most likely a couple are blown out.)
Are some brands better at making specific things than others? I.E. Pioneer makes great amps, Sony makes great head units (not saying those are true just listing examples) That information would really help me get a generalization when shopping around rather than having to look up reviews for each product.
So here's my plan..
#1 Buy 2 pairs of 6.5" coaxial speakers and install them myself. Looking for a pair @$100 for the fronts and less than $50 for the rear pair. I absolutely don't want to cut holes into my doors for tweeters with components so only coaxials please. I often have people in my backseat so I'd like them to be able to have something nice to listen to All my friends laugh at my speakers(as well as I) and comment that they sound like they're 'farting' whenever I play bass-heavy music. I think it's due to one or two blown out speakers, but I'm not sure.(Before I drove the car my dad drove it for 12+ years and listened to his music LOUDLY.) I fear that if I only upgrade the front speakers the rear speakers will ruin the sound with their 'farting' and I'll feel as if I've fixed nothing.
It seems logical that I should buy speakers that would handle the mids/highs well and use a 'bass blocker' because the sub would take care of the bass correct? I don't want to compromise mids and highs in my speakers just to provide bass if a sub could do it better.
It's very important to note that I DO NOT just want cheap speakers. If you go and find a pair of speakers online for $25 it doesn't help me, because I could have simply done that myself. What WILL help me is if you've had PERSONAL experience with the speakers you're advising/warning me about, and can compare them to other speakers you've owned/heard. It's easy to find cheap ones, but it's hard to know if they're any good.
Questions- Will it make a big difference if I run better speakers in the front and average speakers in the back? Or would it be better to run slightly better than average speakers all around? I don't do any sitting in the back, and my money is better spent on my ears than on my friend's ears Consistency seems good in installation as everything is done the same way etc. but if it's better to use 2 different kinds I don't mind I guess.
Do I have to rewire from the head unit to the speaker with better cables or will the stock ones be alright?
I'm unclear about what these things mean-
frequency response
sensitivity
impedance
2-way/3-way
A worker at Al & Eds Autosound told me that I can hurt the speakers more easily if I'm not using an amp with them. Is this true/should I be worried?
Variety of speaker choices, I've heard good things about:
Polk Audio db650
Pioneer TS-D161R
Pioneer REV?
MB Quart EKA 116
Sony Xplod
GT
High Performance
CX
If you have a better recommendation feel free to suggest it. Again, max price is $100 for front pair, $50 for rears.
#2 Buy an amp that will power the 4 speakers as well as the sub in the trunk and install it myself.
Questions- I think I need to wait until I choose/buy speakers before I can choose/buy an amp correct? But I'll list the questions just in case.
I have no idea how many channels I need, or output etc.
Will just 1 amp power all 4 speakers as well as the sub?
What kind of amp should I buy?(what are good brands @$150 or less)
I think the amp should be the one part I spend the most money on so I'd be willing to spend up to $200 if it's really THAT worth it.
Are all amps created equal? Or are some brands better than others?
If the amp is dependent on speakers then I'll edit the post as soon as I pick a set that works to let everyone know what I'll be using.
Possible brands:
Sony XM-4S
Pioneer
Alpine
#3 Head Unit- I'd prefer it to look as stock as possible, so: Black. Few buttons. Green back light/lighted buttons etc. 'DIN' sized(don't know what that means.) 8" or less depth.
As I said I do a lot of listening through an iPod mini and plan on buying a nice iPod adapter through the back of the unit, or whatever way gives me the cleanest sound.
No video players.
No CD changers necessary.
Doesn't need to be touch screen.
Priced less than $100
Brands I've heard of/researched/look good
Nakamichis($$$ though)
Pioneer DEH
Questions- What specifications should I look for?
**note that the head unit was added on -post budget.
#4 Buy a subwoofer and make a sealed box for it. Or buy a sub that comes with it's own box. Depending on price.
Questions- What size sub should I get? Again, I don't need to break windows or set records Just a nice healthy thump that can be felt a little.
Also, good brands and models would be a great help.
Is my bass going to be completely lacking without a sub? After a year of driving around with hardly any bass I'm really yearning for some thump. In my experience regular speakers(mine) provide hardly ANY bass, but better speakers may be an entirely different world. That being said, I don't want to compromise mids and highs in my speakers just to provide bass when a sub could do that better correct?
I've read about the Type R and it seems pretty good, there's so many different brands though it's pretty intimidating.
I'm pretty clueless about how to make a box(I've read that it's basically 12x12x12 right?) so links to threads explaining how would be great. From what I've read it doesn't sound impossible.
Less than $100
Along the way I'm going to use sound deadening material on the door panels and most likely trunk. I've heard good things about a product called 'Peel and Seal' and it's said to be cheap so I'm planning on using it. Anything I should know first?
What will most likely happen is that I'll buy the speakers first and install them, then the head unit, then save for the amp and install it, and finally the sub last. Sorry, I'm still in school and not made of $$$.
I think that a lot of the system depends on what speakers I choose, so I'm trying to make up my mind on those first. It makes it harder because I had to add in a head unit so my budget for speakers changed.
Thanks for reading through it all. I know you can only help me if you know all the details Again, your help is UNBELIEVIBLY appreciated!! I'll be sure to answer any and all questions. Sorry for the complete 'noobness' but everyone's got to start somewhere right? By doing it myself I hope to learn a lot and get a better understanding of how my system works. Plus it's always something useful to know for future cars, etc.
AND I AM COMPLETELY LOST not to mention frustrated..
Yes, I've searched and read and read some more and have learned a lot, but still have a lot of questions. It seems that every potential audio system I've seen has at least one little detail that makes it useless information to me(i.e. particular amp, speaker size, etc.) I have learned a lot though I must admit.
Enough with the intro, here's what I'm looking for and would LOVE your help with:
-Doesn't need to be audiophile quality. I definitely don't want low quality made-in-china crap though. I need help balancing quality with price.
-Isn't going to be used at car shows etc. I'm just looking for something to make daily driving a bit more pleasurable.
-Doesn't need to be blow your ears out loud. But I do enjoy listening to my music loudly with my windows down. My stock setup has not left me wanting more though in terms of sheer volume.
-I listen to a wide variety of music, though mostly can be broken down into 50% rock, 30% rap/hip hop, 10% old school, 10% other.
-I play my music either through my iPod mini(40%,) radio(40%,) or CD player(20%, in a different head unit I have)
-Not looking to spend over $450 for 4 speakers, an amp, a head unit, and a sub.
-I like bass, and would like a nice 'thump.' I don't need to rattle my car apart though
-I've got nothing against buying used! But I'm a little leery of buying used speakers because I would never know how they were played in their previous life. Is that a logical thing to be worried about, or would I be able to spot any damage by sight? Can anyone point to sites like craigslist [dot] org, and eBay [dot] com that would be likely to have used car audio equipment for sale?
-I'm going to be keeping the car for probably another year or two so nothing over the top, but I'd really like to be able to listen to ALL the notes in my music for once
The car's a '93 Honda Accord; 6.5" speakers all around -four total.
Original head unit, cassette/am/fm. Original 15 year old speakers(most likely a couple are blown out.)
Are some brands better at making specific things than others? I.E. Pioneer makes great amps, Sony makes great head units (not saying those are true just listing examples) That information would really help me get a generalization when shopping around rather than having to look up reviews for each product.
So here's my plan..
#1 Buy 2 pairs of 6.5" coaxial speakers and install them myself. Looking for a pair @$100 for the fronts and less than $50 for the rear pair. I absolutely don't want to cut holes into my doors for tweeters with components so only coaxials please. I often have people in my backseat so I'd like them to be able to have something nice to listen to
All my friends laugh at my speakers(as well as I) and comment that they sound like they're 'farting' whenever I play bass-heavy music. I think it's due to one or two blown out speakers, but I'm not sure.(Before I drove the car my dad drove it for 12+ years and listened to his music LOUDLY.) I fear that if I only upgrade the front speakers the rear speakers will ruin the sound with their 'farting' and I'll feel as if I've fixed nothing.It seems logical that I should buy speakers that would handle the mids/highs well and use a 'bass blocker' because the sub would take care of the bass correct? I don't want to compromise mids and highs in my speakers just to provide bass if a sub could do it better.
It's very important to note that I DO NOT just want cheap speakers. If you go and find a pair of speakers online for $25 it doesn't help me, because I could have simply done that myself. What WILL help me is if you've had PERSONAL experience with the speakers you're advising/warning me about, and can compare them to other speakers you've owned/heard. It's easy to find cheap ones, but it's hard to know if they're any good.
Questions- Will it make a big difference if I run better speakers in the front and average speakers in the back? Or would it be better to run slightly better than average speakers all around? I don't do any sitting in the back, and my money is better spent on my ears than on my friend's ears
Consistency seems good in installation as everything is done the same way etc. but if it's better to use 2 different kinds I don't mind I guess.Do I have to rewire from the head unit to the speaker with better cables or will the stock ones be alright?
I'm unclear about what these things mean-
frequency response
sensitivity
impedance
2-way/3-way
A worker at Al & Eds Autosound told me that I can hurt the speakers more easily if I'm not using an amp with them. Is this true/should I be worried?
Variety of speaker choices, I've heard good things about:
Polk Audio db650
Pioneer TS-D161R
Pioneer REV?
MB Quart EKA 116
Sony Xplod
GT
High Performance
CX
If you have a better recommendation feel free to suggest it. Again, max price is $100 for front pair, $50 for rears.
#2 Buy an amp that will power the 4 speakers as well as the sub in the trunk and install it myself.
Questions- I think I need to wait until I choose/buy speakers before I can choose/buy an amp correct? But I'll list the questions just in case.
I have no idea how many channels I need, or output etc.
Will just 1 amp power all 4 speakers as well as the sub?
What kind of amp should I buy?(what are good brands @$150 or less)
I think the amp should be the one part I spend the most money on so I'd be willing to spend up to $200 if it's really THAT worth it.
Are all amps created equal? Or are some brands better than others?
If the amp is dependent on speakers then I'll edit the post as soon as I pick a set that works to let everyone know what I'll be using.
Possible brands:
Sony XM-4S
Pioneer
Alpine
#3 Head Unit- I'd prefer it to look as stock as possible, so: Black. Few buttons. Green back light/lighted buttons etc. 'DIN' sized(don't know what that means.) 8" or less depth.
As I said I do a lot of listening through an iPod mini and plan on buying a nice iPod adapter through the back of the unit, or whatever way gives me the cleanest sound.
No video players.
No CD changers necessary.
Doesn't need to be touch screen.
Priced less than $100
Brands I've heard of/researched/look good
Nakamichis($$$ though)
Pioneer DEH
Questions- What specifications should I look for?
**note that the head unit was added on -post budget.
#4 Buy a subwoofer and make a sealed box for it. Or buy a sub that comes with it's own box. Depending on price.
Questions- What size sub should I get? Again, I don't need to break windows or set records
Just a nice healthy thump that can be felt a little.Also, good brands and models would be a great help.
Is my bass going to be completely lacking without a sub? After a year of driving around with hardly any bass I'm really yearning for some thump. In my experience regular speakers(mine) provide hardly ANY bass, but better speakers may be an entirely different world. That being said, I don't want to compromise mids and highs in my speakers just to provide bass when a sub could do that better correct?
I've read about the Type R and it seems pretty good, there's so many different brands though it's pretty intimidating.
I'm pretty clueless about how to make a box(I've read that it's basically 12x12x12 right?) so links to threads explaining how would be great. From what I've read it doesn't sound impossible.
Less than $100
Along the way I'm going to use sound deadening material on the door panels and most likely trunk. I've heard good things about a product called 'Peel and Seal' and it's said to be cheap so I'm planning on using it. Anything I should know first?
What will most likely happen is that I'll buy the speakers first and install them, then the head unit, then save for the amp and install it, and finally the sub last. Sorry, I'm still in school and not made of $$$.
I think that a lot of the system depends on what speakers I choose, so I'm trying to make up my mind on those first. It makes it harder because I had to add in a head unit so my budget for speakers changed.
Thanks for reading through it all. I know you can only help me if you know all the details
Again, your help is UNBELIEVIBLY appreciated!! I'll be sure to answer any and all questions. Sorry for the complete 'noobness' but everyone's got to start somewhere right? By doing it myself I hope to learn a lot and get a better understanding of how my system works. Plus it's always something useful to know for future cars, etc.
